Week 9, 12.03.11 – 18.03.11 (Personal Blog) - Mandy Brown

It seems appropriate to compose a personal blog this week, to reflect on my experiences in Finland as a whole.  As time has passed I have come to realise that I have been living in Turku for a little more than two months now (half-way through my time here).  My ‘normal life’ back in Northern Ireland seems so far gone it almost seems unreal, although regular contact over the Internet with family and friends has kept things in perspective.  Therefore, I am happy being away from my comfort zone. 

My lifestyle has changed somewhat in comparison to being a part-time student in Stranmillis, to a full-time Erasmus student.  For example, I am much more conscious of cutting back on purchasing luxury items, firstly because things are more expensive here and secondly because I am relying on my own personal savings to accommodate my time in Finland.  Therefore I do not eat out often (in placement I try Finnish food - for free) and search for the cheapest items in the shops! 

Furthermore, it has been a long time since I have worked as a student in placement in a daycare/school; I have had to adjust and accept that it is not an employment with a salary and that I do not have the same level of responsibilities as I would normally. 

In addition to this, the student lifestyle appears to include attending many parties and events (more so than I am accustomed to when living back home).  However I understand that it is important to attend these so that I can continue to make new friends and find out about other cultures.

I am continuing to attend Finnish language classes at University and still find it a difficult language to learn.  On the other hand it seems that language has not become a barrier in everyday life.  I find that constant reading of signs and hearing people speak Finnish helps me recognise the language and is all part of my learning process.

My experiences in Finland up until now have encouraged me to reflect on my own culture and personal views.  As a person I have developed more confidence to embrace new experiences and become more open to meeting new people from other cultures.  So far the Erasmus experience has been great and I look forward to the remaining time here.  I hope to bring home with me my enhanced knowledge and understanding that there is more to experience outside of Northern Ireland.

Week 8, 05.03.11 – 11.03.11 (Professional Blog) - Mandy Brown

This has been an active week in relation to my placement experiences.  The number of placement hours I have to fulfil during my time here is becoming more demanding than I first thought.  However, I am confident that I will complete this with continued determination as I am nevertheless enjoying placement. 

Tuesday 8^th March was ‘Shrove Tuesday’ - the Finnish equivalent being ‘Laskiaistiistai’.  According to some Finn’s this is a popular event where sledging is performed, with a competition for the best.  Unfortunately I did not attend the event in the city, although there was a celebration in my placement.  The children enjoyed sledging outside, with a hot chocolate drink and a cookie.  During afternoon snack they had a traditional Shrove Bun ‘Laskiaispullat’ which was filled with whipped cream and jam; I tried one and it was very nice.  In addition to this, I visited a skating rink with the children.  The children are very well-equipped with ice skates and appear to have few problems skating, I think this may be because the children are raised to play such activities and they can complete them with little effort. 

I had been asked to plan and complete an activity with the children in Pre-school.  I planned to teach the letter ‘R’ to maintain the children’s current learning of the English Alphabet.  The lesson included a group discussion on the carpet about the alphabet and then creating a mind-map together of objects that begin with the letter ‘R’.  Although all of the children speak English the teacher was needed for some translations and misunderstandings, for example, ‘R’ in the Finnish alphabet sounds different to that of the English one; some children were confused and thinking of Finnish words. 

The mind-map led onto an individual task of drawing, labelling and colouring their own object.  I was available to assist the children although most of them worked independently throughout.  To complete this lesson I also provided a simple handwriting sheet to assess the children’s forming of the letter and ability to write.  I had allocated thirty minutes for the whole activity, however in practice it took longer.  The teacher thought this was fine and there tended to be a more relaxed atmosphere than of back in Northern Ireland.  I like this as more time can be spent with the children individually ensuring they have gained an understanding of the topic.    The learning purposes were to identify and recall letters, with sequencing and group discussions to prompt thinking skills.  On reflection, an area for improvement is my judgement of allocated times, although the lesson went well as the children were attentive, respectful and engaged in the activities.

Pictures: Examples of children's independent work as part of my planned lesson.

Week 7, 26.02.11 – 04.03.11 (Cultural Blog) - Mandy Brown

This week life in Turku was back to some sort of normality for me.  My visitors had gone and it was time to attend University classes and placement again.  As part of my ‘Get Finternational’ course I attended an ‘Equality in Finland’ workshop which was informative and interesting.  Numerous statements relating to equality in Finland were made to encourage some constructive debates.  It was challenging to agree/disagree with the statements because once I had made my choice, we were asked to explain why and from listening to others’ views arguing valid cases; I began to re-think my decisions.  For example, a statement for debate was that ‘individuals earning a higher salary and in better jobs should pay more tax (40% of their earnings)’.  This was argued that individuals in better jobs had studied a long time and deserved to keep all of their earnings versus everyone gets a free education in Finland, therefore everyone should pay taxes, especially those who have studied for many years and not paid any taxes over this period.  This left me unable to strongly agree or disagree as I thought they were both excellent points, resulting in a reflection of the issues discussed.

Monday 28^th February was Kalevala's Day - Finnish Culture Day, where the Finn’s celebrate the epic folk poetry written by Elias Lönnrot (1802-1884).  I have learnt that the Kalevala was part of a patriotic movement recognising the heroic past of the people and the move of Karelianism.  It seems that traditional Finnish food can be eaten on this day and in general it seems that Pea Soup (Hernekeitto) and Gingerbread biscuits (Piparkakut) are some typical foods eaten regularly.

In addition to this, I attended a museum exhibition named ‘Fire! Fire!’.  This was an interactive exhibition based on the history of the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, where three-quarters of the city had been destroyed.  Furthermore, to extend my cultural experiences I went to an Ice Hockey match to watch Turku’s local team (TPS) play.  This was my first experience of watching an Ice Hockey match live (even though there is the Belfast Giants back home!).  There was a good atmosphere in the arena and I soon saw that ice-hockey is a very physical and what seems an aggressive sport.  However, it was a great experience and I was amazed at the players ice-skating skills.  As my time in Finland continues I realise that there are more things to experience here.  I look forward to further experiences to come and intend to grasp these opportunities with both hands!

Picture 1: The local ice-hockey team (TPS) playing a match.

Week 6, 19.02.11 – 25.02.11 (Cultural Blog) - Mandy Brown

There were no University classes as it was ‘Winter Week’.  This provided opportunities for me to explore Finland more so than usual.  My cousin, friend and boyfriend visited this week which also encouraged me to sight-see, rather than continue with my normal daily life in Finland.

I visited the capital city, Helsinki, to meet my visitors and spent the day there observing the beautiful architecture and surroundings.  I walked round the shopping areas, thinking I had seen most of the city; however when I checked the map in the evening it seemed I had only seen the south-east area!  Helsinki appeared to be considerably larger than Turku, so I decided to re-visit the city when my boyfriend was returning to the airport.  On return I visited Helsinki’s Zoological Institution Museum where the building itself was impressive along with the excellent display exhibits.

In addition to this I visited the town of Naantali, the home of MoominWorld.  It was recommended to me by my University tutor, and on reflection I was pleased I had taken her advice.  I am told that MoominWorld opens during Winter Week each year.  I got to meet the Moomin’s in person and enjoyed looking around the Moomin House!  There were opportunities to ice-skate and to use the snow-slide (which I did!). 

Including all of the above, I investigated Turku; I visited the Cathedral and Turku Castle.  The Cathedral was nice; however the Castle was more interesting, full of history and many objects to illustrate this.  I decided to walk by the Harbour near the Castle to take in the view.  It was amazing to see the frozen Baltic Sea with various ships anchored to the Harbour and appeared to have been there for some time.  As I observed the peaceful scenery, I noticed a random skier skiing along the frozen water around the ships.  This strikes me as a dangerous activity, however it seems that it is perfectly normal for the Finn’s and I admire their skill and courage.  Finally, while in Turku I took my visitors to the Finnish Scouting Museum as they have a keen interest in Girl Guiding and Boy Scouts.  This was a nice activity enjoyed by all; the scout expert was very friendly, enthusiastic and interested in mine and my family’s background. 

Overall, this week has been beneficial for my increased knowledge and understanding of Finland and I look forward to exploring more as the semester continues!

 Picture 1: The Zoological Museum.

Picture 2: Exhibit outside the Zoological Museum.













Picture 3: Me inside the Moomin House!